In Which
by Wren Maxwell
Summary: Pre-series. Will be various moments from the Jim/Elisabeth relationship. Rated M for a later chapter.
1. In Which Jim Falls in Love wElisabeth

AN: I love Jim, and if I owned Terra Nova I would have him for my own. Unfortunately, I don't, so he isn't.

Jim and Elisabeth needed a fic, so here it is. Probably AU since I haven't been able to rewatch the episodes since they first aired. If there are details missing, I apologize for nothing! This is my canon. ^_^'

Hope you enjoy.

J&E

When Jim read the ad for the apartment he was now renting it went something like this; 'Cozy (meaning he could reach out and touch both walls at the same time), one bedroom (a sleeper closet with a double bed if he was lucky) with all the amenities (it has hot water.) Quaint design (meaning pipes sticking out in odd places) conveniently located near City Center (the hospital and police station are five minutes away.)

Sounded perfect. Better yet, it was within his price range.

One week in and he knew he hated the place. To begin with, it was obviously designed with midgets in mind. Every time he went through the kitchen he banged his head on the water pipe that ran across the ceiling and into the bathroom (if you could even call it that, it was more of a stall.) Secondly, the bed did fit in a small alcove off the kitchen. (It wasn't a room. There was no door.) And it was something similar in size to a double bed, with a small nightstand next to it, but to fit without his feet up against one wall and his head against the other he had to sleep crossways with his head in one corner and his feet hanging off the other. (Comfort at its best.)

In the following months he thought about finding someplace else, but he had signed the lease and it did have its perks. With all the double shifts he had been taking when he got the place (he really wanted to make detective that year) he could walk home half asleep and be in his bed ten minutes after he clocked out. Better yet, Elisabeth loved the place.

He would never understand her fascination with his lifestyle.

She had grown up privileged in the London dome. She had gone to all the best schools and had all the best things and when she lost her parents at eighteen she had been left with an acceptance letter to the best medical academy in Europe and plenty of money to pay for it. Instead, she applied to the top medical school in the US and followed up her residency by taking a position at Chicago City Center Hospital. While they were the top research hospital in the Midwest, they also did a booming business in their ER and trauma centers. That was how they met. He needed a knife wound stitched up and she was finishing a double shift in the ER. Afterwards she told him he could buy her a drink for her troubles.

For the first few weeks they would simply meet for a beer and talk, both too exhausted to become more invested than that. It was always the same dive bar, and Jim always made the same argument that a woman as intelligent as she was shouldn't be hanging out in that part of town. Elisabeth always argued back that she had him to protect her, so what was he so worried about? Won over by her sassy nature he always gave in. And at the end of the night he always made sure she safely got a cab back to her apartment on the nice side of town. It wasn't until the 'Very Bad Day' that tequila got involved and they finally left 'together.'

When Jim had woken up the next morning he didn't have a clue where he was or how he had gotten there. He was in a big (very comfy) bed in the actual bedroom (there were doors) of what he assumed to be a hotel (if the lack of personal items and bland color scheme were any indication.) He could hear a shower running and there was the smell of coffee (real coffee, not that instant synthetic crap) drawing him into the kitchen. It was huge. Stainless steel appliances and the latest in food prep units. Looking in the cabinets he noticed they were mostly bare. There were a few dishes in one and he found milk in the fridge, but otherwise the place was barren of anything save the two coffee mugs on the counter.

He heard the shower shut off and shortly after Elisabeth wandered into the kitchen to find him watching the drip of real caffeine into a large carafe. Seeing her face finally brought back the previous nights activities, and he couldn't help the smile on his face as she offered him some painkillers for the massive headache he was suffering. Over their coffee he finally asked where they were and was surprised to hear that this was her apartment. After noting the look on his face she explained that she spent more time than not at the hospital and she really lived out of her locker there. She occasionally slept and showered at her place but that was the extent of it. They didn't get to discuss it further as they both needed to be at work, but Jim made note to bring it up again in the future. There was no way a place so nice should go to waste like that and he meant to tell her as much.

He soon figured out why staying at the place was such a pain when it took them close to forty-five minutes to get to work. At one point he muttered that it might be quicker to get out and walk and Elisabeth chuckled, responding that it wasn't, she'd tried it. He vowed to drop the subject of her apartment going to waste after that.

That night Jim got in late and was barely finished cleaning up his dinner when there was a knock at his door. He opened it to find a haggard looking Elisabeth standing on the other side. Three major surgeries, back to back, was her explanation as she walked past Jim and fell into his bed. He leaned over her to ask a question, perhaps even protest and was told, definitively, that he owed her one.

The next morning Jim asked (in a totally nonchalant sort of way) when he could take Elisabeth on a real date. She laughed and told him that while she thought dating was a wonderful idea, and she truly did miss it sometimes, it wasn't something that she was able to make time for. But it was sweet of him to ask. He only 'hmmed' thoughtfully and they went their separate ways.

But that night, when Elisabeth showed up on his doorstep again (as he knew she would,) he was ready for her. She walked in to the gentle glow of imitation candlelight. Jim had made her a real dinner and bought a box of wine. He'd even shaved for the occasion. To say she was surprised and delighted was an understatement. He figured he had her at 'bonsoir.'

'Date' night wasn't exactly a regular occurrence. If Elisabeth was on call she usually slept at the hospital, and if she had a day off she would make the trip back to her apartment for a more uninterrupted sleep. Jim was pulling extra duty for awhile before getting deep into an investigation where he had to spend most nights tailing someone or staking out all-night clubs and bars. That didn't mean they stopped seeing each other. (Although it was never in the formal sense. They had tried an actual night out once… concluding afterwards that it would be best if they kept their 'dates' casual.)

Flowers (a true indulgence) would occasionally show up at the hospital for Elisabeth. Nothing big, a few daisies attached to her locker with a note saying he was thinking of her (or certain parts of her…) Other times there would be a message at the nurses station saying he would be stopping by with Chinese at the end of her shift. The nurses thought he was a hoot and often gave Elisabeth a wink on her way to the break room to join him. It wasn't a perfect relationship, but they made it work.

A few months in and Jim started noticing that her stuff was slowly migrating to his apartment. An extra toothbrush, bottle of shampoo and towel in the bathing stall (as he called it.) Bras and frilly underwear in his sock drawer, a coffeemaker on his counter. Coming from any other woman and he probably would have been horrified, but from Elisabeth it only made him smile. He didn't understand what she saw in him that made her keep coming back, but he knew what he saw in her that made him want her to keep coming. She was smart, and funny, and kind. She was sassy, and bright and genuine. She wasn't afraid to take risks and she never took no for an answer. He admired her courage to leave everything she knew and become the person he knew today and he adored her for being the person who fit so well with him despite their differences.

It wasn't until the day Elisabeth almost died that he realized he loved her.

He's just made detective and Elisabeth was so proud of him. She'd come to the promotional ceremony and they'd had a great night out with his fellow officers and some of her friends from work. They hit up a local place and spent most of the evening creating quite a bit of noise. Considering the guy he had to put away to get this promotion, he should have been expecting a little payback.

It happened when they were on their way home. Jim, Elisabeth, his partner Mike, and Mike's wife Alice were all walking to the L when a car came careening around the corner, a rain of bullets spraying from the window. Jim and Mike's keen cop senses told them something was off the moment that car turned the corner, and they tried to get their women and themselves to cover as quickly as they could, but they didn't have much warning, and they weren't Superman.

They hit the ground hard behind a parked car, shattered window glass raining down on them as the bullets were let loose on the vehicle as well. Jim landed on top of Elisabeth and was trying to use his hands to protect her head from the glass as she scrunched her face and curled as small as possible to make less of a target. It seemed like the shots went on forever as he watched her face, horrified that something could have happened to her because of him. That she would be a target for his enemies because of him. Because he loved her…

Holy. Shit. When had that happened? It was like it snuck up on him and was now bashing him over the head at the most inopportune moment.

When it was over, and Elisabeth was looking up at him with her big brown eyes, he knew he would do anything for her. Take a bullet for her, steal for her, kill for her… it was all so cliché, but he would. He would even let her go if it meant she would be safe.

When she told him to get off of her (breathing was getting difficult) he shot to his feet and then gently helped her to hers. He handled her like she was made of glass, his newfound awe making him act, well, goofy was the word Elisabeth used later. As he was staring at her like she was some enchanted creature she pointed out that he had been shot, to which his response was 'I love you.' Elisabeth rolled her eyes and said yes, of course, she loved him too, now would he please sit down before he bled out all over the sidewalk.

From then on he figured their fates were sealed. No amount of wheedling would get her to admit leaving him was probably her safest option (it wasn't her first drive-by, this was Chicago after all). No amount of reasoning would get him to admit it took him so long to realize he loved her all along. They wouldn't have it any other way.


	2. In Which Jim and Liz Go on a Date

AN: First, still not mine. Second, lets make a deal. I know someone is reading this and I want to know how its going. ie: Are they in character, does the idea work, what do you guys like, what do you not like, too short? Ya getting the drift yet? There is this little blue button at the bottom... see where I'm going with this? Feedback = love!

This is my take on the disasterous first date that they mention on the show. :)

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Jim made a reservation at one of the fancier places in the city. It was a little Italian place with a dress code and wandering violinist. He was really hoping to impress Elizabeth, knowing that her former suitors had been able to afford a different standard of living than he was able to show her.

They'd had a few romantic evenings together, he'd made her dinner the first night and a few others, but nothing that would qualify as official. A real date involved going out somewhere different, dressing up and making an effort to not get publicly drunk. It was about flowers, manners and hand-holding. Needless to say, this made Jim a tad nervous.

Elisabeth had gone to her own apartment after work to get ready, leaving Jim alone at his place to stew. He'd already changed his shirt three times, each time deciding they didn't look quite right. Too nerdy, too uptight, too… groovy. He'd finally settled on plain blue, Alice once telling him the color brought out his eyes. As he looked in the mirror he tugged at the sleeves of his borrowed sports coat. The sleeves were a little short but he was hoping no one would notice. Concluding that this was as good as it was gonna get, he headed out for Elisabeth's.

The restaurant was a block over from her apartment, so he was picking her up there and they were going to walk over. When he got there his hand immediately reached for the door before he remembered it was considered rude to barge in without knocking. Of course, he'd been there before, and if she was still getting ready he didn't want to interrupt. He stood there in the hallway, indecisive, no idea that Elisabeth was on the other side of the door, smirking as she watched him through the security screen. He finally made up his mind, determined to do the right thing and knock, only to have the door swish open under his raised knuckles. The sight that greeted him was enough to make his head go numb.

The first thing he noticed were her eyes. He had never seen her with makeup before, she never needed it, but with kohl lining her dark eyes he thought perhaps he could sink into them forever and never come back. Her hair hung in soft curls around her face, accenting the seductive twinkle in her eyes and leading his gaze downwards to her dress. He had no words for how she looked in it. It was formfitting silver, modest at the neckline but cut high in the leg. On top of the heels she was wearing it made him want to throw the good doctor over his shoulder and forget the whole 'date' idea. He swallowed hard as his eyes trailed back up to her face.

Elisabeth was having some not-exactly-polite thoughts of her own as she watched his normally crystal clear eyes turn a stormy shade of blue and her mind went to an entirely rated R place as she watched his Adam's apple bob. Oh the things she wanted to do to that man's neck! She was about to scrap the entire plan for the evening when he finally cleared his throat and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

She took it, smiling at the way her hand fell on his exposed wrist. They kept sneaking glances at each other on the way to the elevator until she couldn't take it anymore. "Aren't you going to say anything about my dress?"

Jim met her eyes as they waited for the car, the heat in them almost palpable. "As soon as I can think of a response that doesn't make me sound like a caveman or involve ripping all your clothes off, I'll let you know." He was pleased by the blush that colored her cheeks.

When they got to the restaurant he sent Elisabeth to the bar to order them some wine while he went to check with the maitre d'. When he came back to let her know that their table was ready he found her being actively hit on by a suit. (He was fairly certain there was a lawyer in the suit, he'd seen enough public defenders to recognize the obnoxious dripping off the guy's personality.) The guy had taken the barstool nest to Elisabeth's and she looked like she was half listening to him with a mixture of amusement and bored tolerance. When she spotted him she rolled her eyes.

Jim smirked back at her, knowing her distaste for the type. He took a deep breath and put on his 'serious cop face' before he tapped the guy on the shoulder and tried to calmly explain that the lady was here with someone else. It probably would have worked if the guy hadn't already had half a bottle of something a little stronger than wine.

He gave Jim a condescending look. "Well if she's here with you I credited her with better taste. Too bad too." He smirked at the affronted expression on Elisabeth's face as he patted her thigh, sending Jim's vision into the red zone. "She had a chance to go home with me toni-oooggh!" He didn't get a chance to finish as Jim's fist smashed into his face.

Elisabeth let out a cry as the guy's flailing arms sent her glass of wine all down the front of her dress. Jim threw her a startled (and apologetic) look before focusing his attention of the drunk that came back at him swinging. To be fair, the guy had obviously had some sort of boxing background, and had it been a fair fight, he might have stood a chance. This wasn't a fair fight and he didn't stand a chance. The guy was inebriated, his balance woefully impaired, and Jim was a street cop that knew how to fight dirty. The guy got in one lucky shot when he started toppling and grabbed at Jim's borrowed coat for support, ripping the sleeve half off. Jim was shocked enough to pause, trying to decrease the damage by grabbing the guy to slow his descent and getting an elbow to the eye for his troubles.

In the end the guy got hauled off to the clink by some of Jim's buddies at Precinct 12 and he and Elisabeth got kicked out of the restaurant for public disturbance. He slipped his ruined jacket around her shoulders as they left looking… well, bashful and uncertain were the words Elisabeth used when she retold the story to the girls at work. "I'm really sorry about your dress…" he started, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort.

She sighed in reply, looking down at the ruined silk. "I'm sure the testosterone will wash out, but the red wine could be a problem…" smiling when she looked back up.

Jim was confused. "You're not angry?"

"This is definitely the most interesting date I've been on in a long while," she replied, thinking of her final date with Malcolm, during which he droned on ceaselessly about his latest grant proposal making her wish for the beeping monitors, shouted instructions and general chaos of the trauma center to give her ears a rest. "Besides," she concluded, "I told you I don't really care about the formality. It was lovely of you to think of it though.

He watched her thoughtfully for a second before he noticed the "Fine French Takeout!" place they had stopped in front of. (It was obviously brand new from the lack of graffiti and he questioned the viability of French takeout for a moment before giving it a 'What the hell' mental shrug.)

"Well its not over yet. I'm going to make it up to you. Stay right here," he said, hands firm on her shoulders, planting her in place, before running inside to order and then making a quick call. She shook her head in amusement as she watched him through the window, wondering what he was up to now. Every once and a while he would glance out at her, eyes glinting as he gave her a devilish smile. It made her heart melt a little.

He soon exited, large box of food under one arm, and laced the fingers of his free hand through hers to lead her down the street. "Where are we going?" she asked, looking back at the quickly disappearing tables in front of the takeout place.

He grinned down at her, all teeth. "I know a guy."

She raised her eyebrows in question but followed without comment, knowing life would never be boring with Jim. Turns out that 'knowing a guy' got them a private table in a relatively clean alley near the museum with a red and white checked tablecloth that had seen better days but appeared to be clean. There was a candle, bottle of wine and bag of frozen peas waiting for them. As Jim laid out their food they were soon joined by a man with an accordion that Jim referred to as 'maestro,' (his real name was Vinnie.) Their evening was spent laughing and talking to the (garish) accompaniment of Vinnie's finest compositions before returning to Elisabeth's apartment so she could properly thank Jim for their evening out and he could properly express his appreciation for her ruined dress, ("It is as enchanting as the woman wearing it, now may I please tear it off?")

Later, as they lay curled in bed together, Elisabeth gently tracing Jim's black eye while the sweat dried on their skin and their heart rates returned to normal, she commented that the night wasn't a total disaster.

The next morning they both woke up heaving from the food poisoning.


	3. In Which Jim Doesn't Propose to Liz

AN: And! In honor of Valentines Day, here is a little anti-romance I couldn't resist writing ages ago. Enjoy! (Gonna be awhile before there as another update.) As usual, please let me know what you think! Reviews = love. ^_^

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Jim was just coming home from a massive dose of overtime. He'd been sitting on a witness for the last two days, and whatever drug the guy had been on? He didn't sleep because of it. Meaning neither did Jim. It was late when he got in and there was no light on, meaning Elisabeth was still at the hospital. He didn't bother to turn one on, choosing instead to crash face first onto the bed and pass out.

He'd probably only been asleep an hour when he felt Elisabeth rolling him over and pulling off his shoes. He mumbled something that could be considered a greeting as she crawled onto the small section of bed left empty of his larger frame and curled up next to him.

"How was your day?" he finally managed to get out.

"Hush Jim, go back to sleep," Elisabeth whispered, knowing he was tired if he didn't even bother to remove his shoes.

"No, no. I'm awake," he yawned. "I want to hear about something other than my day, which was a nightmare."

"Well," she started, laying her head on his shoulder, "Susan got engaged to Dr. Andrews today."

"Nurse anesthetist Susan or administrative nurse Susan?" he interrupted.

"Susan from the NICU," she replied, starting to absentmindedly trace patterns on his chest.

"Ah! Susie! The one with the cute- ow! I was gonna say nose! Geez. Do continue," he said, rubbing at the spot she had pinched.

"Anyways, we didn't even know they knew each other, but apparently they have been quietly dating for a few months now. I guess she thought everyone would think she was with him for his money and status at the hospital, but they really do seem to be in love," she said thoughtfully.

"Hmm, you could have one of those if you wanted, you know," Jim stated matter-of-factly. "Rich, intelligent, maybe even handsome if you looked hard enough."

Elisabeth laughed at his musing tone. "And if I said I was happy as I am?"

Jim got quiet a moment. "Would you ever consider marrying a bum like me?"

Elisabeth's whole body went still, her fingertips frozen on his chest. "Is that… an offer?" she asked tentatively.

"What? Of course not! Don't be silly," Jim scoffed.

Elisabeth made a disgusted noise as she smacked him on the chest and propped herself up on her elbow to click on the tiny nightlight on the wall. His eyes were closed but he could feel the burn of her glare on his face. He did a slow count to five in his head, waiting to see if the glare would subside or she would say something. When he got to five and neither happened he cracked one eye to look at her. "Ring's in the nightstand if you want to check it out."

He heard Elisabeth give a small gasp, but she remained quiet, obviously waiting for him to tell her it was a joke. When he didn't say anything else her brow scrunched in confusion and she hesitantly reached for the drawer of the nightstand. He heard her pull it open and the little sigh that escaped when, sure enough, she saw a small, blue velvet box inside. He felt the bed shift as she reached for it and finally spoke up. "Of course, you can't have it until I decide if _I_ want to marry _you."_

"Jim!" she hissed through her teeth. He could just picture her face hardening as she slammed the drawer to the nightstand and flopped onto her back next to him, not touching him even though there was hardly any space for them both.

He is too tired to smirk, which is probably a good thing since he doesn't want to get walloped by the sweet-natured woman next to him. He does however drift off with a self-satisfied look on his face.

Elisabeth is not so lucky, tossing and turning most of the night. She resents Jim for being able to sleep so soundly after throwing her into a tizzy like that. At some point she gives him a good elbow in the side as punishment before finally falling into a fitful sleep around 4 am.

She wakes to the smell of Jim making coffee. Real coffee, her one indulgence from her former life. She peaks around the corner to see he is busy fighting with the food prep unit and quickly leans back in to check the nightstand drawer.

The little box is gone.

She stomps into the kitchen, trying to act normal, but coming up short and not fooling Jim for a minute.

"How'd you sleep?" he asks, handing her travel mug over the counter.

"Fine. You?"

"Slept like a rock." He watches her scowl into her mug. "Vaguely remember you coming in… I was pretty out of it. Did you say something about someone getting engaged?" he asked innocently as he took a sip of his coffee. He could see the steam rising, figured it would start puffing out her ears any moment.

"Yes, I did. But if you can't remember then its obviously a topic that doesn't interest you!" she said, gathering her things before huffing out of his apartment.

Jim waited a beat after she left, just incase she decided she had something else to say, before pulling the troublesome little box from his pocket. Flicking it open he grinned at the glittering piece within. "Oh yea. She wants you bad."


End file.
